Global Warming News

Chicago, IL–Illinois is staring at a future of more extreme heat waves, lower Lake Michigan water levels, extreme floods, and reduced agricultural yields unless global warming pollution is cut dramatically and rapidly.

These conclusions are contained in a report issued today by 13 federal government science agencies in the most definitive scientific assessment to date of global warming’s impacts on the United States.

The report also tells a second, more optimistic story, said Max Muller, program director at Environment Illinois: the U.S. can avert disaster by transitioning to a clean energy economy.

"Sizable early cuts in emissions would significantly reduce the pace and the overall amount of climate change. Earlier cuts in emissions would have a greater effect in reducing climate change than comparable reductions made later," states the report Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States by the U.S. Global Change Research Program.

"The good news in this report is that the future isn’t written yet," said Muller of Environment Illinois. "By repowering America with clean energy, we can not only avoid the worst impacts of global warming, but can also recharge our economy, and put Americans to work at millions of clean energy job."

Clean energy has been a bright spot in our economy in recent years, Muller noted, citing a survey of green businesses by the Pew Charitable Trusts, which found that the rate of job growth in the emerging clean energy economy has been more than twice as fast as in the economy as a whole: 9.1% growth for clean energy businesses compared with 3.8% in all businesses combined.

Economists at the University of Massachusetts have calculated that a $100 billion investment in building a clean energy economy could create as many as 2 million well-paid jobs in the United States in just two years. Of those jobs, 83,710 would be right here in Illinois, reducing Illinois’s  unemployment rate, which was at 7.1% in June, to 5.9% in two years.

"Illinois has already seen that clean energy can cut pollution while creating jobs in Illinois, from Invenergy and Serious Materials in Chicago, to Bauer Power in Bloomington and EcoEnergy LLC in Eglin, and dozens more clean energy businesses. Those are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what’s possible," said Muller.

"The economics of clean energy and the science on global warming are clear: now is the time to unleash the power of clean energy to protect our environment and transform our economy," said Muller.

The report found that global warming has already raised the earth’s average temperature by 1.5 degrees over the past 50 years. If global warming pollution continues under the report’s high emissions scenario, scientists expect the Midwest region to experience the following impacts:

• Heat related deaths: Heat waves that are more frequent, more severe, and longer-lasting are projected. Events such as the Chicago heat wave of 1995, which resulted in over 700 deaths, will become more common. By the end of the century, the report predicts such heat waves will occur up to three times per year. Insect born diseases: Insects such as ticks and mosquitoes that carry diseases, such as West Nile Virus will survive winters more easily and produce larger populations in a warmer Midwest.

• Decreased Great Lakes water levels: The greater the temperature rise, the higher the decrease in water levels. Under a lower emissions scenario, Great Lake water levels are projected to fall up to 1 foot by the end of the century, but under a higher emissions scenario, they are projected to fall between 1 and 2 feet. Even a decrease of 1 foot, combined with normal fluctuations, can result in significant lengthening of the distance to the lakeshore in many places, while decreasing ship capacity and increasing shipping costs.
   
• Increased rainfall and flooding: Precipitation is projected to increase in winter and spring, and to become more intense throughout the year. This pattern is expected to lead to more frequent flooding, greater infrastructure damage and increased human health impacts. The Midwest has already experienced two record-breaking floods in the past 15 years, including the June 2008’s Mississippi River flood which breached or topped levees in Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri.

• Decreased agricultural yields and higher prices: By the end of the century, plants now associated with the Southeast are likely to become established throughout the Midwest. Temperature extremes will pose problems even crop species that are well-adapted to warmth, such as corn and tomatoes, when daytime maximum temperatures exceed 90°F for even short periods during critical reproductive stages. Livestock production is expected to become more costly as higher temperatures stress livestock, decreasing productivity and increasing costs associated with the needed ventilation and cooling.

Burning fossil fuels – coal, oil, and natural gas – is responsible for the vast majority (>80%) of U.S. global warming emissions. Next week, the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on a bill to put a first-ever federal limit on global warming pollution and set a framework for moving to a clean energy economy.

"Our choices today will determine the future we and our children face. Our Congressmen should stand on the side of a cleaner, smarter energy future and support strengthening and passing the American Clean Energy and Security Act," said Environment Illinois's Muller.

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